Kathy Witt

Boomers go for choice and quality of experiences at sea

Shark diving to “meet” Great Whites, jet boating into Hells Canyon, flying over an ice field, hiking in a rain forest.

If you think boomers are taking a cruise for the buffet and the evening song-and-dance, think again. They crave activity, adventure and authenticity on both small yachts and mega ships and on sailings to the Old West, among the fjords and islands of Alaska’s Inside Passage and into some of the most exotic corners of the world.

“Boomers may not want to camp every night and scale mountains, but they definitely want to view wild bears, speak with residents of remote coastal villages, kayak in a quiet cove and walk in the rainforest and learn about it from a real scientist while they are standing in it,” says Maureen Gordon, co-owner of Maple Leaf Adventures, which offers adventure cruises in British Columbia and Alaska.

In fact, boomers want choices – and lots of them – for a variety of experiences. They want to shop with the ship’s chef at the local market, talk to the onboard naturalist about the indigenous flora and fauna, track Lewis and Clark and delve into intact wild areas. And they are getting these experiences and more on a number of cruise ships and sailing vessels.

Canada-based Maple Leaf Adventures offers natural and cultural history cruises aboard a classic 92-foot sailing ship, taking an intimate group of eight on each trip. A longtime practitioner of ecotourism, the company offers multi-day excursions to experience some of the most beautiful places on the B.C. and Alaska coast in a highly participatory and personal way and in the company of expert naturalists or historians, crew and chef.

Experiences are authentic to time and place and might include bear viewing by kayak with an expert guide; “extreme picnicking” on a culinary/​craft beer tasting trip that involves hiking to a stunning vista over Gulf Islands National Park and a gourmet tasting picnic; climbing out on the bowsprit to be with dolphins who are surfing the schooner’s bow wave; and paddling among seal pup inhabited icebergs to watch (and hear) giant chunks of ice calve into the sea – not to mention plucking your own chunk of crystal clear ice from the sea to take back to the ship and smash up for drinks.

“Certainly we find that people are interested in our trips because they can experience firsthand the wilderness and the sense of adventure that comes from exploring it with a personal guide,” says Gordon. “But they can sleep on a comfortable bed with fluffy duvet at night – after a fabulous chef-cooked meal and a good wine.”

The onboard experience with Holland America Line’s 15 cruise ships offer very topical enrichment opportunities, including a Culinary Arts Center program, presented by Food & Wine magazine, that lets guests indulge their love of fine food and drink while immersing themselves in traditions and tastes unique to their ship’s ports of call. Not only that, they can meet top chefs from all over the globe while learning how to create gastronomic masterpieces and get a book signed by a culinary author.

The theatre-style venue with its state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen and large plasma video screens puts participants right in the middle of the action, with guests taking part in cooking demos and some joining the chefs on stage to help prepare dishes – oh, and tasting wines representative of the ports on their itinerary. Salut!

The line’s Digital Workshop powered by Windows® (available on all ships except for the ms Prinsendam), promises “jargon-free” sessions led by a Microsoft-trained “techspert.” Participants leave sessions – editing cruise photos, turning photos and videos into a slide show and others – with not only digital scrapbooking prowess, but the expertise to email the shipboard memories they’re making to family and friends shore side.

For boomers questing after lifelong learning experiences, Princess Cruises presents ScholarShip@​Sea®: learn ship navigation, its history and maritime terminology; scrapbook – there’s a free intro course, plus in-depth courses with the purchase of a scrapbooking kit; join enrichment lectures covering topics from politics to theatre to science; and paint your own bowl or mug fired in onboard kilns – a cruise industry first – for a truly one-of-a-kind souvenir. (On the Island Princess and Coral Princess, there’s a wet-clay pottery program that includes specialized wheel-throwing classes.)

But Princess isn’t just about what’s onboard. Shore tours in Alaska include whale watching, going for a ride on a dog sled, meeting professional mushers and flying over glaciers to see waterfalls. In Bora Bora, there’s helmet diving underwater and off-roading to tour tropical fauna. Wending through the maze that is the Port Market with its hubbub of musicians and vendors is an adventure in Uruguay. And floating on Lac Rose (Pink Lake) is the sport of choice in Senegal.

InnerSea Discoveries recently launched two expedition ships embarking on “un-cruises” in Southeast Alaska (through September), specifically targeting active adventures. The ships carry between 60 and 76 guests, and hiking and kayaking are the main activities during the one- and two-week cruises.

“Our energy is focused on what’s happening outside in the wilderness,” says Sarah Scoltock, director of communications and business development. “The ships carry 28 double kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, dry suits, snorkeling gear and zodiacs.”

This same company owns American Safari Cruises, a more upscale experience that takes 12 adventurers into the historic landscape shaped by the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Onboard expedition leaders guide excursions off the yacht and discuss the natural and cultural history of the area, Lewis and Clark’s expedition and the locks and dams. A jet boat excursion in Hells Canyon and winery tours are included in the voyage.

Hawaii, a new destination for InnerSea Discoveries this year, unfolds for 36 guests on weeklong and 10-night un-cruises between Maui and the Big Island (November through May 2012) aboard the Safari Explorer. As the only overnight yacht or passenger ship currently visiting Moloka’i, guests are treated to an exclusive (and included) guided tour: a hideaway waterfall in the pristine Hâlawa Valley or a walk through a local family’s ancient taro terraces. Other activities in Moloka’I include hiking the switchbacks of the Kalaupapa Trail, taking a mule ride, biking on the island or hiking to the rain forest.

“Active boomers want choices, but don’t want to be too regimented or too scheduled,” says Adrienne D’Annunzio, manager-corporate communications, at SeaDream Yacht Club. “They want unique experiences, not cookie cutter.”

Aboard the laidback twin mega-yachts, SeaDream I and SeaDream II, which accommodate 112 guests, that’s exactly what they’ll get. Because of their intimate size, these vessels – the only locations at sea to be certified members of the Thai Spa Association – can call on many smaller, less crowded ports out of reach to big ships. Itineraries are designed for plenty of party time in the evening in ports like St. Bart’s and St. Tropez.

The yachts have complimentary mountain bikes for guests to go exploring on their own and, while the company offers a selection of professionally guided tours in each port, it also offers complimentary crew-led hikes, bikes and walks – like shopping with the chef in Sorrento, Italy. The water sports marina at the aft end of the yachts offers swimming, snorkeling, wave runners, kayaks and Hobie cats.

“We find its all about personal choice,” says D’Annunzio. “Active boomers want to decide just how active or how relaxed they’ll be. Good service is very important and they want easy, hassle-free experiences.”

Now, about those sharks . . .

Patric Douglas, founder and CEO of Shark Dive, pioneered mega yacht shark diving services at Isla Guadalupe in 2005 with the yacht M/​Y Triton. An advocate for sharks and the shark diving industry, Douglas offers five- and eight-day live-aboard cruises featuring shark cage diving as the main draw.

“Believe it or not, 30 percent of our divers are boomers,” says Douglas.

Expeditions head to Guadalupe in search of Great White sharks and to the Bahamas to see Tiger sharks, reef sharks and great hammerheads. Guests get to snorkel with spotted dolphins and participate in reef and wreck dives.

You can’t get much more authentic than that – but that’s what boomers want: Authenticity, hands-on activities, personalized experiences and value, which doesn’t necessarily mean a bottom line price.

INFO

Holland America Line, www.HollandAmerica.com
InnerSea Discoveries, www.InnerSeaDiscoveries.com
Maple Leaf Adventures, www.mapleleafadventures.com
Princess Cruises, www.Princess.com
SeaDream Yacht Club, www.SeaDream.com
Shark Diver, www.SharkDiver.com/​dive-packages

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Retirement rocks in the dolly world

Dolls . . . retire?! You read that right. Just like people, dolls hang up their careers – if you can call a lifetime spent as a professional, albeit cute and huggable, best friend a career – and transition into their golden years. But what does retirement look like for dolls? Is it endless tea parties or time spent gathering dust?

Mostly the former, thankfully. In the case of the retiring dolls – “kids” and babies alike – at BabyLand General® Hospital, home of the beloved Cabbage Patch Kids®, newborn, preemie and Lullaby editions and BabyLand Exclusives, retirees move into the doll equivalent of a retirement home. That is, they are preserved in perpetuity in playful museum-like vignettes where they romp with other retirees, play the xylophone and other musical instruments, dress up like cowboys and ride their tricycles.

Valued retirees
At BabyLand’s recently opened Southern-style manse in the Appalachian foothills in Cleveland, Ga., visitors find glass cases lining the walls en route to the Nursery and holding retired Kids and babies. The retirees are dressed in decade-appropriate attire and loosely arranged by the era in which they made their debut, dating back to 1977, a year after then 21-year-old Xavier Roberts soft-sculpted “Little People,” the forerunner of what would become the Cabbage Patch Kids®. With 120 million adopted to date, the Kids are one of the most popular and highly collected dolls in history.

The displays include each Kid’s original adoption fee and current value. “Benjie,” #45 from the Helen Blue edition, cost $150 to adopt back in the early 1980s, but is worth a whopping $15,000 today.

“For collectors, the most treasured ones include those from the Helen Blue edition,” says Wilma Arrington, a collector in Georgia who has been amassing the soft sculptures since 1984.

Also from the Helen Blue edition are pals “Willie” ($55) and “Jason Daniel” ($100) whose original adoption fees were $55 and $100 respectively. Cherubic baby faces aside, these retirees are living out their sunset years at BabyLand, spending their days just paling around in a protected environment – they are, after all, worth $15,000 each.

That may leave you gasping – and perhaps even cursing yourself for not keeping your own hand-sculpted wunderkind from back in the day – but $15,000 is actually at the low end of the value scale. Some of the Kids, according to BabyLand’s director of corporate communications Margaret McLean, can re-adopt for as much as $50,000.

“You must remember these Little People have the uniqueness of a work of art,” she says. “Once you look at these babies, you see they have very distinct personalities.”

Out with the old?
For the historical character dolls at American Girl® (formerly the Pleasant Company and now a division of Mattel) retirement, according to Karen Harper, store manager at the American Girl Boutique and Bistro in Alpharetta, Ga., equals opportunity – opportunity for new character dolls and eras, for the collectors who accumulate them and the little girls who adore them and love learning about American history through them.

This year, the character Felicity Merriman® and her colonial sidekick Elizabeth® are retiring and will be ushered into the American Girl Archives™. What this means is that, once the Felicity dolls, her garments and accessories are gone, they will no longer be available for purchase through any American Girl channels, including online and in stores. The books based on the retired dolls, however, will always be available.

Felicity follows in the footsteps of Kirsten Larson® and Samantha Parkington®, already archived to make room for new historical characters and time periods. Since the founding of Pleasant Hill in 1986, when these two girls plus Mollie McIntire® made their debut, the line has expanded to include not only Felicity, introduced in 1991/​92, but these historical characters: Addy Walker®, released in 1994; Josefina Montoya®, unveiled in 1997; Kit Kittredge®, launched in 2000; Kaya®, who followed two years later in 2002; and, most recently, Julie Albright.

Collectors can be sure that, with Felicity’s retirement, shelf space will be opened up for another historical character – but Harper remains mum on that subject. Unlike BabyLand General® Hospital, retirees are not shown in the store; instead the current girls, as well as Bitty Babies and Twins and My AG dolls, pose in colorful vignettes located throughout the Boutique.

“These are American Girl’s version of a museum display,” says Harper, noting that each doll’s role is to show off the various clothing ensembles – and these gals have extensive wardrobes. New garments are introduced each year for the holidays, like the festive Ruby & Ribbon dress and the Snowflake Ball Gown. Embroidered with sequined snowflakes, the royal blue and silver gown features a velvet bodice with double-ribbon accents and tulle skirt, shouting “fabulous,” as Harper describes it, with every stitch.

Meet the Kids and Girls in person
There is still time to buy American Girls’ Felicity® and Elizabeth® dolls, as well as the 2010 Appalachian Christmas Edition that will be introduced by BabyLand on November 20. In both cases, purchases are most fun made in person.

At BabyLand General, located in its ginormous 70,000-sqare foot complex, visitors find lots of babies waiting to be adopted, including the “hand-stitched to birth” soft-sculpture Original Cabbage Patch Kids® and the Lullaby babies who pop up from the Cabbage Patch with their arms outstretched. Prospective adoptive parents ready to pony up between $200 and $350 may witness the birth of their baby at the Cabbage Patch which spreads out beneath the hand-painted Magic Crystal Tree.

Also at BabyLand is a retail store filled with vinyl or vinyl and soft sculpture combination toys in a variety of sizes delivered from the “Far Eastern Cabbage Patch” and with adoption fees ranging from $10.99 to $49.99.

The 12,000-square foot American Girl Boutique and Bistro in Alpharetta is located about 50 miles south of BabyLand General® and is one of nine stores located across the country. Here, young girls can browse to their heart’s content among the shelves of historical and contemporary dolls, racks of historical and contemporary clothing – including a rotating selection of doll outfits, accessories and Dress Like Your Doll® clothing – and stacks of award-winning books.

Prices for the historical character dolls range from $95 to $118, depending on whether books or accessories are selected. American Girl has a Best Friends Collection as well that includes, for example, both Felicity and Elizabeth, along with an outfit for each, plus special items from the colonial era for $224. In retirement, prices for the dolls vary as a “Kirsten” search on eBay showed; she was trading at anywhere from $124.99 to $949 depending on the number of accessories included.

With her retirement looming, Felicity is leaving the shop at a brisk clip, but customers .are limited to three each of any of the dolls.

“The collectors will get them, but we try and keep the dream open for little girls who want a Felicity, too,” says Harper. “And they decide by coming into the store and seeing which ones they like.”

And it is a store you want to go into. There is a Bistro for dining on grown-up cuisine like Grilled Pacific King Salmon as well as favorites including pizza and where vinyl girls can sit right beside their real-life counterparts in the company’s trademark “treat seats.” At the Doll Hair Salon, girls can treat their doll to a new hair-do, pierced ears or facial. For special occasions, girls can choose one of several American Girl-themed celebrations: Doll Spa Party, Doll Beach Party, Doll Fashion Designer Party for girls eight and up and a Friendship Fun Party for girls five and up.

In the circle of life of the doll world, these dolls – the babies, Kids and historical characters – are made to be held and hugged even into retirement.


INFO

BabyLand General® Hospital, www.cabbagepatchkids.com; www.helenga.org; American Girl Atlanta, www.americangirl.com/​stores/​location_atl.php, www.awesomealpharetta.com.
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LaGrange appeals for girlfriends’ adventure getaway
Canoeing and kayaking on West Point Lake adds to shopping, wining and dining

Girlfriends who want more than manis, pedis and “girliecues” for their getaways can find it in a place long known for embracing girl power: LaGrange, Georgia, one hour south of Atlanta and home of pristine West Point Lake, has a history of adventure-loving women.

During the Civil War, LaGrange was defended by a women’s militia known as the Nancy Harts. (Nancy Hart was an American Revolution heroine from Georgia.) In 1865, after the Confederate defeat in nearby West Point, a detachment of the Union cavalry force, Wilson’s Raiders, rode into town – and was met by an armed contingent of Nancy Harts. The women soon put down their arms but the city and its gracious homes were largely spared destruction.

Catch the wave
Today, women can take up oars for adventure on LaGrange’s nearly 26,000 acre-West Point Lake and its many sheltered creek channels. There are more than 20 parks with boat launching ramps where canoes and kayaks can be tied up for loading and unloading gear.

Some of the best routes, according to West Point Lake’s supervisory park ranger, David Barr of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are Maple Creek, Wehadkee Creek, Birch Creek and Yellow Jacket Creek. With less boat traffic and fewer waves, girlfriends can navigate at their leisure, while doing what they love – gabbing while gliding along picture-postcard scenery.

Earl Cook Beach, located on the east side and equipped with outdoor shower and picnic area, is one of the lake’s less crowded beaches along its 525 miles of shoreline, yet it still offers a variety of canoe-worthy areas without venturing out into the main lake channel.

“One of the best routes is to launch from Yellow Jacket Park and canoe either upstream or downstream,” suggests Barr. “Trammell’s Smokehouse Grille at Highland Marina is located along this route and you can stop by for lunch, dinner or just take a relaxing break. For those wanting to see eagles or osprey, a launch from Long Cane Park and canoeing Maple Creek is a fun experience.”

Those staying at a lakefront cabin at Highland Marina or a waterside cottage at Southern Harbor Resort and Marina can kick back in comfort afterward and relive the fun over drinks and hors d’oeuvres on a shaded deck. (Stock fridge and pantry with fresh and luscious edibles with an advance trip to a local farmer’s market: LaGrange’s Market on Main runs every Saturday morning; nearby Hogansville’s Handmade-Homegrown Market runs every other Saturday. Girlfriends can dig their toes into one of West Point Lake’s swimming beaches.

Post-paddling fun
Alternatively, gal pals can dress up and head downtown and experience the local flavor at eateries recently graced by some of Hollywood’s most well-known celebs. Casually elegant C’Sons, known for “new American” cuisine inspired by seasonal ingredients, and the chummy Idle Hour Pub were the restaurants du jour of Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon and Billy Thornton when in LaGrange earlier this summer to film “Jayne Mansfield’s Car.” Brickhouse Grille and Tavern caught the fancy of Shia LaBeouf of “Transformers” movie fame when he visited in the spring to film “The Wettest County.”

If you prefer staying in tee-shirt and flip flops, it’s the Cart Barn Grill, a funky restaurant located in a tumbledown driving range shack – but don’t let looks deceive you. Venture in and you’ll be treated to some of the best food anywhere and all at reasonable prices: steaks, chops and burgers, Reuben and Cuban sandwiches, fresh-cut fries. You can chill with a beer, but if you want wine, you need to bring your own. Fortunately, the region’s only winery, the new Warm Springs Winery, is a quick 30 minutes from LaGrange.

Open Thursdays through Sundays, the winery is known for producing blends with the native muscadine grape, which grows only in the Southeast. Pick up a picnic lunch at Kroger’s deli and bakery – blue cheese stuffed olives, sour dough bread, gourmet cheeses, artichoke and spinach dip – or from Taste of Lemon, whose legendary Southern salad plate of deviled eggs, chicken salad, broccoli salad, curried rice salad and saltine crackers can be picked up (Mon. through Fri.) to-go. Pair your picnic with a bottle of Lotus Pond White, named for the property’s pond lush with water lilies, and settle into a picnic table at the winery or purchase a bottle or three to take back to your rooms.

More shore side fun awaits inside LaGrange shops. Outdoor girls will want to pop into old-timey Solomon’s Department Store for Patagonia shorts and dresses, Teva® sandals (perfect for kayaking) and Life is good® beach bags. Golden’s Bike Shop sells kayaks but, more importantly, is an excellent resource for learning about area kayaking.

The place to pick up a little something to thank the weekend babysitter or bring home to the kids is Stephens Exclusives; shelves spill over with unique items for any occasion under the sun. Next door, White Orchid brims with gifts and home accessories with a focus on the organically-made.

Adventures in overnights
Besides the lake-view accommodations at the marinas, LaGrange is home to some unusual yet very appealing lodging facilities that lend themselves beautifully to girlfriends’ getaways, particularly the climate-controlled and fully furnished yurts at Pine Mountain RV Resort. Yurts here are upscale circular tents designed with wooden floors and skylights and set amidst the trees. The resort has concierge service, community lodge with coffee bar, a fitness center and saline swimming pool, plus free Wi-Fi throughout.

Other options: Thyme Away Bed & Breakfast, tucked into a Greek Revival-style home and offering antique furnished guestrooms and a full gourmet breakfast; The Wingate by Wyndham LaGrange features oversized guestrooms with luxury bedding and a choice of either hardwood or carpeted floors; and, in Hogansville, The Grand Hotel, built in the 1890s and replete with gardens, Victorian tearoom and adjacent sweet shop.

INFO
LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce, www.lagrangechamber.com, 706-884-8671.